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Ford and his brother, Councillor Doug Ford, have accused some councillors of grandstanding regarding the ice storm, which left one million Torontonians without power.

“I take it as a personal insult to be told in the media that we’re grandstanding,” said Shiner. “It’s not grandstanding, it’s getting to the bottom of what happened and how we can do better.”

The mayor wouldn’t back off. He berated councillors who he said should be extending major thanks to city staff, rather than grilling them on how they handled the response.

“To sit here and have the councillors go after staff, I’m sorry, I can’t sit here and tolerate it,” Ford said. “I don’t think I heard one councillor get up and thank them for their hard work and dedication and sacrificing their family time over the holidays.”

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Ford praised the work of senior hydro and city officials, and said the city should stand ready to help out when other cities face a crisis.

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion has said she will try to bring GTA municipalities together to collectively ask the province for disaster relief funding.

“Since Dec. 21, our government, under the leadership of Premier (Kathleen) Wynne has been actively working to help those most affected by the ice storm,” said Mike Maka, Jeffrey’s press secretary.

“Our ministry has already begun the process of assessing the requests of the municipalities that have requested ODRAP (disaster relief assistance) and will begin the process with Toronto as soon as possible. We are working with other ministries to put together provincial disaster assessment teams that will be on the ground as soon as possible to assess the affected areas,” said Maka.

“The ministries of Health, Community and Social Services, Community Safety and Correctional Services, Energy, Natural Resources, and Transportation have been working closely with officials on the ground and providing resources and support to those in need,” he noted.

“Our ministry has been engaged with all affected municipalities and is closely monitoring the situation. At this time we understand that Toronto is the seventh council to have voted on a motion asking for their municipality to be declared as disaster area and there are additional municipalities including Richmond Hill and Hamilton that have called special meetings to review motions.”

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Mihevc sparked a hostile response at Toronto council when he asked if this meant Ford had changed his mind and would now support moves he voted against in the past, such as aid to Haiti, tsunami victims and the donation of two retired city ambulances to El Salvador.

Ford responded that he would never approve paying for Mihevc and Councillor Adam Vaughan to go to El Salvador to deliver the ambulances.

“I do not support councillors going on taxpayer-funded trips,” the mayor said. “I will not ever be changing my mind on that.”

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Mihevc objected that taxpayers weren’t charged for the trip, but Ford wouldn’t retract his statement without proof. The councillor checked and clarified that the city paid for part of his El Salvador trip.

The most heated exchange occurred between Ford and Stintz, who has confirmed she is running for mayor in the Oct. 27 election.

Stintz said Ford could have ensured one individual was heading the crisis by declaring an emergency but that would have put Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly in the lead role.

“You could have made one person in charge but that person wouldn’t have been you so you chose not to,” Stintz charged.

Ford didn’t respond directly but slammed Stintz, the Toronto Transit Commission chair, for not being visible during the crisis.

“I still don’t know where you were but I guess you took credit for getting the TTC up and running,” the mayor said. “You must have a magic wand because you were nowhere to be found.”

Kelly also came in for a personal comment from Ford who said he “might have taken a vacation” during part of the crisis.

The deputy mayor flew to Florida on Christmas for a holiday dinner with his family. He said he was in close touch with city officials and his constituents via BlackBerry and does not regret the decision to leave town briefly to see his relatives. He is 72, and only one of his four siblings is still alive.

Kelly told reporters after Monday’s meeting that he hoped Ford’s personal comments about him and other councillors were an aberration.

“I thought the mayor was very personal in many of his remarks and I thought that was unnecessary, certainly not productive and I won’t respond to him.”

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